Dante Exum went head-to-head with his childhood idol Kobe Bryant and it was the Australian teenager who came away with an emphatic win.
Utah Jazz NBA head coach Quin Snyder said Exum's 13-point, six assist effort in the team's 119-86 pre-season victory over the Los Angeles Lakers was the best of Exum's short professional career.
Exum was slammed by some US media members after a couple of shaky performances, including racking up eight turnovers while being schooled by Los Angeles Clipper point guard Chris Paul on Monday, but Snyder praised him for bouncing back.
"One thing about Dante is he's a quick study," Snyder told reporters.
"There's going to be growing pains but, hopefully, he can learn quickly and learn when he makes a mistake."
Exum, 19, started the game from the bench, but ran the team's offence from point guard in his 19 minutes on the court.
As a kid growing up in Melbourne, Exum mimicked Lakers star Bryant on the basketball court and a dream became a reality when he was able to guard the veteran All-Star.
"Sitting on the bench and watching Kobe when it first started was a cool feeling and I got a chance to guard him so that was great," Exum said.
"I had a few turnovers last game, so it was about coming out and taking care of the ball and playing slow."
Bryant, 36, a 16-time All Star coming back from two consecutive serious leg injuries, had an erratic game, scoring 27 points, but it came from 10-23 shooting.
Exum's fellow Australian on the Jazz, forward Brock Motum, also impressed Snyder against the Lakers.
Motum is fighting for a place on the Jazz roster before the team is cut to 15 players before the start of the regular season.
Motum had seven points from 3-5 shooting, two rebounds and one assist.
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